3009 Oranienbaum, 1998

The project Couleur Locale, Droog Design for Oranienbaum was the incentive for the Tree Trunk Bench, a design that grew to be a Dutch design icon. Bronze cast chair backs from a century ago are fixed into the trunk of a tree that is locally found. Oranienbaum is a cultivated landscape in which nature and culture meet and influence each other in a reserve were a mixture of objects is protected as a sort of collection of curiosities. Felled trees lay scattered around on the premises and basically form huge park benches with more that enough space next to you to seat other people, or serve as a side table. By inserting the back rests the trunk is cultivated into a cross pollination of nature and culture. GardeningBench: The garden well looked after, all year round. Each season has its own colours, smells and waste. The hay of summer, the leaves of autumn, all this can be used for non-durable furniture. Extrusion containers press the garden waste into endless benches which can be shortened to any length. It's up to nature to decide when it'll claim them back.